My community garden plot in D.C. does its thing last October. Photo by Rhea.
Lately, it seems everyone is trying to start an urban community garden. It also seems I have a knack for stumbling upon successful ones. So I connected the two and pitched it to Civil Eats. The editor miraculously accepted it, and I’m thrilled to share the result, “Five tips for launching an urban garden.”
Filed under Gardening, Sustainability
The Jewish sustainability organization Hazon put out a great post earlier this month. It’s called 10 Ways to Make Your Passover More Sustainable. I think my favorite is the idea of sprouting your own karpas, the leafy greens that hold a symbolic place at the seder table (#7). Using a “pascal yam” in place of a shank bone (#9) is a close second. Even though Passover is just about upon us (eliminating the option of #2: “Plan ahead,” by the time you read this), I couldn’t resist posting about it.
Check out the list, and feel free to leave a comment about making your Passover seder — or any dinner party — more positive for the environment, people, and the economy.
Filed under Events, Jewish community, Sustainability
The Mid-Atlantic winter may not have produced a Snowquester, but it’s still spitting out frosty nights. Soon, even those will become a threat of the past, bringing in — to my delight and dread — a new gardening season. Just like the one depicted above. Continue reading
Didn’t get your paper outline feedback yesterday? Drop by my office to pick it up. #gsr150 twitter.com/RheaYKennedy/s…
— Rhea Yablon Kennedy (@RheaYKennedy) March 1, 2013
Astute readers may have noticed something different about the tweets displayed on the right side of my home page. My short transmissions about food, always frequent, have now taken over the feed. New names appear in my mentions, and the mysterious hashtag #GSR150 accompanies most of my posts.
Well, I’d like to share what I’m doing and some reflections on the project.
In a nutshell, I have worked Twitter into the curriculum of my General Studies 150 class. The course is entitled “La Vida Local: Examining Local Food and Farmers Markets in D.C.,” and is my take on the wonderfully flexible requirements for this course, namely that I use the theme “City as Text” and that I help students develop a foundation of academic research and writing skills.
Better than mucking through dry scholarly articles from an academic database to learn about our topic, I decided the students would build their knowledge through the Twitterverse. In addition to weekly readings and classroom activities, I gave them a Twitter to-do list. It included setting up an account, adding a bio and photo, and following a list of food markets and organizations focused on sustainable edibles. Most of my iPhone-wielding, Instagram-loving undergrads mastered this handily. But then came the requirement that would prove contentious and sometimes downright loathed: Tweet every day. Continue reading
Filed under Teaching, Writing and technology
A sign at a D.C. Metro station tells me what to do. By Rhea.
…that’s the title of my final post in a series at The Jew and the Carrot. It sounds dramatic, but to be honest I wasn’t crawling to the finish line. Yes, it surprised me, too! This post includes a few locavore-friendly micro recipes, a look at sustainable food campaigns and apps, and a whole bunch of gratitude.
Check out “How I survived eating in for an entire month” for the whole story.
Filed under Jewish community
Four speakers. Two Jewish foods. One magical night.
D.C.-area Jews, foodies, and lovers of hilarious arguments, this one’s for you. Experience the Latke-Hamentasch Debate and nosh on “research materials” Wednesday, February 13 at 7 p.m. at Adas Israel (Cleveland Park Metro – Red Line). There will be ASL interpretation!
Click to enlarge the flier and read more.
Filed under DC, Events, Jewish community
My second post on my 31 days of eating in is up at The Jew and the Carrot. Check it out.
Filed under DC, Jewish community
A crowd of Inauguration-goers waits to get into the L’Enfant Plaza Metro station. Photo by Rhea.
President Obama’s second public inauguration this week sparkled with great musical talent and a glinting promise in the president’s address to the nation.
Or so they tell me.
I failed to see any of it live, instead traipsing around the perimeters of a sealed off National Mall with a couple of friends. Eventually, we gave up and headed home.
In the spirit of taking a break from my eat-in posts, I’m going to tell you a story of what I did see that day (and show you in a video if you keep reading).
As I joined the crowd outside one of the jammed Metro stations following my surrender, I encountered two ad hoc entrepreneurs.
“Get your Obama hats!” One of them called. “Only five dollars!”
“Hand warmers!” Said another. “Just two dollars!”
The difference between these guys and the hawkers of oversized buttons or fragrant soft pretzels in the streets was that the former had a captive audience. Up and down the staircase to our left, their patter tumbled over the would-be Metro riders and sometimes turned into a conversation. Continue reading
At the halfway point of my month of eating in, I’ve been thinking about the second-century Jewish scholar Achai ben Josiah. Achai compared someone who buys grain rather than growing their own to an infant whose mother has died and can find no match for her milk.
I don’t grow my own grains, but I can see the allure of spending time preparing them. In fact, this weekend, my boyfriend and I joked that my theme was Constantly-Stirred Grain Dishes. I started off with a golden, slightly firm polenta. The next night, it was a creamy risotto with saffron, lavender, and mushrooms.
I did purchase bulk grains I’ve eaten this month, but I’m still here — and remarkably satisfied. I hope Achai believed in baby steps.
If you need an idea or inspiration for eating in, here’s a recipes for the risotto. (After the jump) Continue reading
Filed under Uncategorized
Photo by Flickr user mingusmutter
The Jew and the Carrot just published an account of my progress through my food challenge. Check out “Eating in for 31 days.”
Filed under Uncategorized
Rhea Kennedy Morgenstern, writer 